Would You Buy A Lightning Again?

[Duanebush]

OMG! Look at all the love!
I’m close to pulling the trigger. I really wish I could swing a Lariat, but a Flash may be in my future. In fact, my son might do the same. We just have to figure out charging arrangements. Thanks for all the replies. I always say, my 2022 Lightning was the best truck and the most fun to drive since my first truck.

I have a 23 lariat for sale on this forum.

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[Hammick]

Hell no. But I would lease one

 

[Ragman]

Up to 5 of them so yes lol, 95% of people do not factor fuel savings into their math when they worry about the truck losing value. Gas and electrical rates vary, for us truck breakeven (are basically free from gas savings) at 100k miles.

That said I'll be scouring auctions for 23 model years going forward, not a fan of Flash screen and prefer the dual onboard chargers.

 

[FloridaMan655321]

As of right now I would. But, in 2-3 years I would certainly look at the competition. I'm not married to Ford as a brand. If Tesla made a more truck-looking truck, I probably would have purchased that instead. I do certainly like the F150 though, and I suspect it will still beat the competition for full size trucks in the next 2-3 years if they continue in their current path.

 

[Roland Neave]

I joined this forum group today after Googling how to close the frunk which was stuck open. Lots of helpful answers and it worked, thanks!
Responding to this thread - I've had my Lightning for 18 months and love it! My previous truck was a 1996 F-250 which I drove for 27 years. It was a gas guzzler, so going electric and saving a pile of money was quite a temptation. My wife is driving her second Leaf since 2012, so we were already familiar with EVs. My realistic range with all the mountains here is 450 km in summer (Ford says 525 km but that must be on the prairies) and about 300 km in winter. British Columbia has fast charging stations (50 to 150 kw) everywhere, so longer road trips are easy to do and I've never had to wait for my turn charging. It was a huge learning curve going from an old truck to all the myriad of gadgets and safety features in the Lightning, and I wish Ford had provided a printed owner's manual to help.
So the short answer to this thread is - if I had to buy another truck, I would definitely get a Lightning.

 

[MJDore]

Thrilled with my Lightning and will drive it for many years. As for the next, I'm holding out hope for a PHEV full-size pickup. I think that would be the sweet spot for me. The backup power capabilities of the Lightning or the Powerboost, but in a plug-in hybrid format. If Ford announced one of those, I'd be all over it.

 

[hdeitzer]

100% yes!!! Just like others, I would like to see improvements in software and battery technology. However, after 42,000 miles it remains best vehicle I've ever owned in 60 years of driving.

 

[RichB-HTX]

Definitely , especially at the reduced price it went to after I bought or the extended range version at my original price. I’m 67, and in Texas. It’s my first ever truck and it’s fantastic. I have level 2 Juicebox chargers at my home and at the weekend ranch, they work great. I also have Ford and A2Z NACS adapters.

 

[gregoryhcain]

100% yes!

 

[lipnorth]

After a year I still am in love with my Lightning. There are a few things I wish for (like the BluCruse update) but other than that I like my EV in almost every way compared to and ICE. I love driving past gas stations and charging at home. I love having serious electricity if needed to power things anywhere.

As for range, at least where I am (East Coast) I have had zero issues. Public charging is fairly abundant and getting better all the time. Add in access to Tesla stations with the free adaptor and I dont see myself ever buying another ICE.

Add to that how much $$$ I saved on gas and maintenance. I'm all in.

Yes I am afraid of resale value but if I wanted a new Lightning down the road Ford might overpay for my current vehicle to get me in a new one.

 

[mefly2]

We have owned our 23 ER Lariat for almost a year.
ABSOLUTELY would buy it again.
The design is great and I just had a Chev 1500 diesel as a loaner while C8 was being serviced .... that comparison driving just cemented that the 150L was the right choice. We have a super duty that sits in the garage next to the L and it is rarely driven.

 

[user-name-required]

Let’s be truthful. No BS, no sugar. Would you buy another?
I ask because I still maintain my 2022 Lightning was the best Ford truck I can remember in 40 years. Solid. Yes, teething, but it was new technology. I had issues, but the biggest was range. The standard just didn’t cut it for me. I had to bail after trying to get an ER. Then the bottom fell out 2 weeks later after I got out.
Now, I’m in a position to get back into an ER Flash. Just wondering what you owners have to say.
I an upside down in my current truck, and have enough incentives, tax rebate, and a PCO to right me up. I could save an easy $5,000 plus a year driving a Lightning again. But I’d want to just run it. I’m on the fence. In 5 years, I’d have between 150-200k on it. I don’t think the batteries are an issue. The service intervals thru 200k are literally tiring. Nothing. I think a coolant change at 160k if I recall. The ER would fit my daily driving without issue. Vacations? Eh, maybe. I have concerns at 150-200k, who would want a used EV? New tech with better batteries, quicker charging, longer range would have to kill a used Lightning, right? Am I concerned about these things for nothing? I can’t imagine my 2023 STX will return $20k in five years with 150 on the clock, after its $15k depreciation in six months. So what’s the likelihood a 2024 Lightning will return $20k in five years with all the other tech advancement strikes against it? I can’t find my crystal ball. Thoughts appreciated.

My take on this:

1. In 8 years, there will be an even more established market for battery swaps. Look at all the folks turning a 2014 Leaf from a 100 mile range vehicle to a 350 mile range vehicle with a battery swap out.
2. Because of the above, I look at it less like "no one will want this", and more of "people WILL want this because when the time eventually comes to swap out the battery, they can turn it into a (who knows) 500 mile range truck, for a lot less than buying a brand new 500 mile range truck.
3. With the tech that is on these, in 8 years, they will still be relevant. Just like a 2016 truck is still relevant, it still has all the connectivity stuff, power everything, creature comforts, etc.

If it makes sense to you now and over the next 8 years, just get it. What happens in 8 years is purely speculation at this point. But based on history, an 8 year old vehicle will probably be worth 20-30% of the total all in price now.

That was my buying logic anyways (getting my Flash next week finally).

 

[neeonline]

If they do not fix the software, then I would never buy another Ford in my life.

 

[NCevGuyF150]

I think my biggest concern is resale and batteries with high mileage in a short term.
Really, if the truck fits my daily mileage needs today, it will in three years. The range will still be good. BUT, if the batteries start to degrade by 100,000 miles (for me at 3 years) who’s gonna want a three year old Lightning with 100k on it? I’ll be forced to drive it into the ground. These trucks are new. Has anyone witnessed 25% degradation in 100k? That’s SR territory, which will NOT work for me, as I proved with my 2022 Lightning. I guess I just need a little push from overthinking. I think I recall a guy footing the freight got a couple cell replacements, and it was over $10k. I doubt Ford will offer new replacement batteries with updated tech to us early adopters, like inserting energizer lithium batteries in a flashlight over the old Rayovac’s.

I do love my lightning. My plans were to replace it every eight years when the warranty expired. My truck has 30,000 miles on it. And it has been in the shop four times in the last 60 days.
Twice the truck has died on a main North Carolina Highway and lost all power. Service soon, wrench completely illuminated the instrument cluster. Yes I was able to completely power down the truck and restart it all while blocking traffic.

This experience has made me scared of the truck. What would happen if I was in a four-lane highway with tractor-trailer trucks approaching at 75 mph.

I am too a long time Ford owner. I have purchased at least 10 Ford products. Almost all of them brand new. And I do believe most of them purchased at Ford dealerships, even the ones that were not brand new.

I do hope that my truck is finally fixed, and then I get 150,000 miles from it, like most of my ICE F150 V8’s

I would be lying to say that since these mechanical/electronic problems with my lightning, I haven’t gone and looked at the Chevrolet/GMC products.

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